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The army was pivotal to American expansion before the Civil War. West Point graduates,
still few in number, played only a limited role in the War of 1812 (1812–1815). The continuing Indian wars—ignited
by settlers flooding into the newly opened lands between the Allegheny Mountains and the Mississippi during the first
half of the 19th century—were another story.
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From the Creek War (1811–1814) to the Second Seminole War (1835–1842), West Point gave the regular army most of its
junior officers. Many first tasted combat in small unit actions against highly elusive foes.
The War with Mexico (1846–1848) was fought more conventionally, but no less successfully, adding large new territories
to the growing republic. Most of the young officers who distinguished themselves against Mexican forces were graduates
of West Point. Little more than a decade later, many of them played major roles in the Civil War.
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